DIRECT RULE IN TANGANYIKA

 This was the German system of colonial administration that was used in Tanganyika.
 Direct rule involved the Germans directly in the administration of their colony.
 Under this system, the traditional chiefs lost their power and authority to the Akidas and Jumbes,
who were Africans but of Asian origin from the coast.
 The system was dictatorial and ruthless and hence it led to a lot of resentment from the Africans.

WHY THE GERMANS APPLIED DIRECT RULE

 The Germans believed that it was the only system through which they could effectively administer
Tanganyika.
 They also believed that it was the only way that they could effectively exploit resources within
Tanganyika.
 The Germans had used force to take over many parts of Tanganyika and therefore soldiers had to be
used so that Africans wouldn’t easily revolt.
 The Germans wanted to impose their superior culture over the Africans and this would involve
imposing their culture and legal system.
 The Germans were also a proud people and therefore used this system to stand high and above the
Africans.
 The Germans had suffered early revolts and therefore had to bring in the harsh Akidas and Jumbes
to tame the Africans.
 In many societies, there were no chiefs and where they existed they were not faithful or powerful
enough and therefore the Germans had no one to entrust authority with.
 They opted for this system because they had enough manpower to man all departments and thus
saw no need to recruit Africans in colonial administration.
 The Germans also feared the expenses of training Africans before they could takeover
administration because this could strain their budget.
 The Germans were very selfish and didn’t want to share the exploited resources with the Africans
and that is why they used direct rule.
 The Germans also used direct rule because of their inexperience in colonial administration because
they had just started acquiring colonies.
 The Germans also feared using indirect rule that was being used by their rivals (British) because
this was going to increase rivalry and competition among them.

HOW DIRECT RULE WORKED/THE NATURE OF DIRECT RULE

 At the top was the Governor who was the head of the colony, stationed at Dar-es-salaam and in
most cases a soldier
 The Governor had wide powers and authority and was directly answerable to the colonial minister
in Berlin (Germany).
 In 1904, there was the Governor’s council that was set up to advise the Governor.
 For efficient administration, the Germans divided Tanganyika into districts and by 1914, they were
twenty two.
 Each district was under a district officer called Berzirksamtmann, with a police force and a small
army to maintain law and order.
 District officers acted as judges and appointed chiefs to preside over courts and administer
punishments on their behalf. They were also the highest court of appeal.
 Districts were further divided into counties, which were further split into sub-counties and sub-
counties into villages of 20,000 to 30,000 people.
 Areas that showed hostility to German rule, were put under military rule e.g. by 1914, the two
districts of Iringa and Mahenge were under military rule because they were chaotic.
 The Governor, district officers, and members of the Governor’s council were all whites. Therefore
the whites dominated the top positions and the Africans were left to rule at the lower levels.
 Below the district officers were the Swahili Arabs called Akidas and below the Akidas were the
Jumbes who were in charge of the villages.
 Akidas and Jumbes were in charge of tax collection, supervision of cotton schemes and public
works. They were also supposed to appoint and dismiss junior chiefs and presided over over local
courts of law.
 Many local chiefs were stripped of their powers and were replaced by Akidas and Jumbes and in
areas where no chiefs existed, the Germans just appointed the Akidas in place.
 These turned out to be very harsh and brutal to fellow Africans and in the end, they made German
administration very unpopular.
 German administration was characterized by mal-administration, cruel methods of tax collection
and forced labour on road construction communal cotton growing.
 Areas that co-operated with the Germans, they were left with their local chiefs e.g. in Nyamwezi
land but these chiefs were made Akidas and therefore served the Governor.
 In some areas, puppet chiefs were put into authority to promote German interests e.g. in Usambara
after the death of chief Samboja and in Unyanyembe after the death of chief Isike.
 In their administration, the Germans were arrogant, and isolated themselves from the Africans
which caused a lot of rebellions from the Africans e.g. maji-maji revolt.
 This system of administration attracted many German settlers who also influenced the colonial
government policy against Africans.
 In some areas where the societies were organized, the Germans used some indirect rule and left the
Africans to rule e.g. among the Chagga.
 German rule came to an end in 1919 when the League of Nations granted Britain authority over
Tanganyika because Germany was being punished for causing World War 1 (1914 - 1918).

Effects of direct rule in Tanganyika

 Many African chiefs were stripped of their powers and replaced by the harsh Akidas and Jumbes.
 Africans who were co-operative and loyal to the Germans were appointed as Akidas.
 Direct rule brewed wide spread rebellions as people rose up against the harsh Akidas and Jumbes
rule. E.g. Maji-maji revolt, Abushiri revolt and Hehe rebellion.
 There was a rise in African nationalism because many people started organizing themselves into
revolutionary movements to struggle for independence.
 Heavy taxation was introduced e.g. a hut tax 3 rupees and taxes were brutally collected as the
German tried to fully exploit the Africans and maximize profits.
 There was forced cash crop growing introduced by the Germans e.g. they started forced cotton
growing, which irritated the Africans.
 Africans lost large chunks of land to the German settlers who introduced plantation farming.
 People including chiefs were brutalized and humiliated as they were publicly flogged and beaten by
the harsh Akidas and Jumbes.
 African cultures and customs were eroded and abused by the Akidas e.g. they always raped women
when their husbands were working on cotton farms and they would also enter mosques with dogs.
 People were always in a state of suffering as there was wide spread discontent and resentment
against the Akidas and Jumbes and generally the whole German administration.
 Christianity was wide spread as traditional beliefs and Islam greatly declined as a result of shrines
being burnt and churches widely built by German missionaries.
 There was heavy loss of lives and destruction of property as the Germans tried to suppress the
many rebellions.
 Africans were forced to work for long hours on European farms and road works where they
received little or no pay at all.
 Infrastructures were widely developed in Tanganyika to aid the exploitation of resources e.g. roads
and railway lines were built.
 Famine broke out due to the unsettled life of the Africans and the German neglect of growing of
food crops in favour of cash crops.
 African traders like the Nyamwezi were driven out of trade by the Germans who became the main
trade controllers.
 Western civilization was promoted as a result of many schools that were constructed by the
Germans.

BRITISH ADMINISTRATION IN TANGANYIKA

(Changes introduced by the British after 1919)
 Having lost World War 1 (1914 - 1918), Germany was forced to surrender her overseas colonies to
the League of Nations.
 Tanganyika became a mandated territory and the League of Nations mandated Britain to administer
Tanganyika on her behalf in 1919.
 They began their administration of Tanganyika by appointing Sir Horace Byatt as a new British
Governor and he was assisted by four members of the executive.
 In his administration, Byatt retained the Akidas and Jumbes and generally the whole German
administration.
 He was later accused of failing to put Tanganyika back on a serious recovery track and he was thus
replaced by a new governor, Sir Donald Cameron in 1925.
 Cameron embarked on developing Tanganyika and he started by instituting indirect rule to close the
gap between the people and government, which had been created by the Germans.
 In 1926, he established the Native Authority Ordinance and set up legislative councils on which
Africans were represented.
 Africans were empowered to collect taxes, administer justice and carry out some administrative
duties e.g. they were made secretaries for the native affairs to supervise themselves.
 In 1926, Cameron established the Tanganyika Legislative Council comprising of thirteen official
and seven unofficial members, to formulate new laws governing Tanganyika.
 However, Cameron frustrated Africans by not including them on the Legislative council yet settlers
were included and Africans only participated in politics at a lower level.
 This later provoked the young mission educated people to rise against the British rule. This brought
in many problems for the British who even failed to get labour when they badly needed it.
 The colonial government had to come in and regulate wages for the Africans to be protected at
work.
 In order to win the support of the Africans, Cameron gave them land which had belonged to settlers
and settlers were also stopped from buying big chunks of land to set up estates.
 Cameron also encouraged Africans to grow cash crops on their own shambas to improve their
standards of living e.g. the Chagga grew Arabica coffee on the Kilimanjaro slopes while in Bukoba,
they grew Robusta coffee.
 Transport was developed i.e. roads and railway lines were extended to productive areas e.g. the
Tabora – Mwanza and Dar-es-salaam – Kigoma railway lines were built and repaired.
 Cameron also introduced poll tax on top of the hut tax that had been introduced by the Germans
except that it was now collected by African chiefs and slightly reduced rates.
 Trade was developed within Tanganyika and with outside countries and Africans fully participated.
E.g. the Dar-es-salaam – Kigoma railway line promoted trade with Belgian Congo.
 Cameron also developed the mining industry e.g. in Musoma, Mwanza and Geita, gold deposits
were exploited and this increased government revenue.
 The British also developed the education sector and increased government funding of education e.g.
in 1925, a department of education was set up and many schools were constructed.
 Ex – servicemen, who had participated in World War 1, were resettled and their problems were
looked into. E.g. they were given land that previously belonged to white settlers.
 Slave trade that had persisted in Tanganyika was finally brought to an end in 1922.
 The young mission educated elites were allowed to form political parties e.g. the Tanganyika
African Association (T.A.A) formed in 1919.

Revision questions
1. a) Why were different European powers interested in East Africa in the 2nd half of the 19th century?
b) What problems did they face in East Africa?

2. a) Why were European countries involved in the scramble and partition of East Africa?
b) What were the effects of colonization on the peoples of East Africa?

3. a) Describe the course of the partition of East Africa.

b) What were the effects of the partition of East Africa?

4. a) Describe the terms of 1884-1885 Berlin conference.

b) What was the role of the conference in the colonization of East Africa?

5. a) Why was the 2nd Anglo-German Agreement of 1890/Heligoland Treaty signed?

b)What were the results /effects/outcomes/consequences of this agreement?

6. a) Describe the methods used by the British to establish their rule in Uganda.
b) What problems did they encounter in Uganda?

7. a) Describe the British colonial economic policies.

b) How did these policies affect the people of Uganda up to independence?

8. a) How was colonial rule extended in Uganda up to 1920?

b) Describe the problems the British faced in the extension of colonial rule to other parts of Uganda.

9. a) How did Europeans acquire colonies in East Africa?

b) How were these colonies maintained?

10. a) Describe the British system of administration in Uganda up to 1914.

b) Why did the British apply it in Uganda?

11. a) Describe the nature of Indirect rule in Uganda OR How was indirect rule applied?
b) What were the effects of this system on Uganda?

12. a) Why did the Germans apply Direct rule in Tanganyika?

b) What problems did they face in the administration of Tanganyika?
13. a) Describe the German system of administration in Tanganyika before 1914.
b) What changes did the British make in the administration of Tanganyika between1919-1939?

14. a) How did the Germans gain control of Tanganyika between 1884 and 1890?
b) How did they administer the area up to 1914?

15. a) Explain the causes of the Anglo – German rivalry in East Africa.
b) What were the steps taken to end this rivalry?

16. a) What led to the Anglo – German conflict in East Africa during the 19th century?
b) Explain the effects of this conflict on the peoples of East Africa.

AFRICAN RESPONSE TO COLONIAL RULE

 The imposition of colonial rule in East .Africa did not go unchallenged.
 Africans responded to the loss of their independence in two ways;
 Through Collaboration and
 Resistance.

COLLABORATION
 This is where African societies or individuals co-operated with the colonial powers in the
establishment of colonial rule.
 Societies that collaborated included Buganda, Toro and Ankole.
 Individuals included Semei Kakungulu (Buganda), Laibon Lenana (Maasai), Nabongo Mumia
(Wanga), and Nuwa Mbaguta (Ankole).

Reasons for collaboration

 Some societies collaborated with the Europeans in order to get military support against their
enemies e.g. Toro and Buganda collaborated with the British to get weapons to fight Kabalega of
Bunyoro.
 Some individuals collaborated because they wanted to get employment from the Europeans e.g.
Semei Kakungulu, Sir Apollo Kaggwa e.t.c.
 Some societies collaborated because they had been hit by natural calamities and therefore could not
stage any resistance against the Whiteman e.g. the Chagga and Maasai had been hit and weakened
by famine, small pox and rinder pest.
 Others looked at collaboration in line with civilization, modernity and Christianity. Therefore they
wanted their areas to be developed by the Europeans e.g. Kabaka Muteesa 1 of Buganda.
 Some Africans were blind folded by gifts and simple presents from Europeans e.g. bibles, clothes
and rosaries which forced them to collaborate.
 Some Africans collaborated due to the fear of the military strength of the colonial powers i.e. the
Europeans had the maxim gun yet Africans were at a disadvantage with spears, arrows and stones.
 Due to missionary influence, some societies collaborated e.g. Buganda where many people were
converted to Christianity they ended up collaborating.
 Some individual collaborators e.g. Semei Kakungulu and Sir Apollo Kaggwa were simply
opportunities i.e. they were after material gains from the Europeans e.g. land, titles like Sir.
 Some societies collaborated because their rivals and Neighbours had resisted e.g. once Bunyoro
resisted, Toro and Buganda collaborated.
 Some societies collaborated out of prestige e.g. Muteesa 1 of Buganda wanted to be recognized for
 working with the British or the white people.
 Some African societies had been terrorized by their leaders which forced a few individuals to
collaborate with the Europeans e.g. Nuwa Mbaguta of Ankole had been terrorized in his childhood
days by Ntare IV.
 Some societies wanted to strengthen their diplomatic ties and relationship with the whites e.g.
Buganda and Ankole wanted to trade with the British.
 The nature of societies also led to collaboration e.g. the Baganda were known to be friendly and
hospitable hence they collaborated with the British.
 The failure of resistances also led to collaboration e.g. when Mwanga was defeated by the British,
the Baganda decided to collaborate.
 The direction or route taken by European invaders also determined African reaction e.g. in Buganda
visitors who entered from the South were warmly welcomed. Since missionaries came from
Tanganyika in the south, the Baganda collaborated with them.

SEMEI KAKUNGULU
 Semei Lwakilenzi Kakungulu was born in Kooki around 1870.
 He grew up as a page at the Kabaka’s palace in Buganda.
 With the growing influence of the missionaries at the Kabaka’s court, Kakungulu found himself so
close to the British.
 He was converted to Christianity and christened Semei.
 During the 1888 – 1890 religious wars, Kakungulu joined hands with Christians to topple Kalema
and the Muslims who had taken control of Mengo – Buganda’s capital.
 His political career begun to take shape in 1890, when he decided to ally/collaborate with the
British for personal gains.

WHY KAKUNGULU COLLABORATED WITH THE BRITISH

 He participated in the 1888 – 1890 religious wars in Buganda on the side of Protestants who
emerged victorious and this marked the beginning of his collaborating carrier.
 The growing influence of the missionaries also forced Kakungulu to collaborate. This was because
he had been converted to Christianity and this forced him to ally with the British.
 Kakungulu was an opportunist who expected material rewards from the British e.g. old clothes and
employment, land e.t.c.
 Because of his humble origin, Kakungulu wanted to earn himself fame and recognition from the
Baganda and Uganda at large.
 Kakungulu was also convinced that the best way of fighting Buganda’s enemies e.g. Bunyoro was
to collaborate with the British.
 Kakungulu also had serious ambition for power and leadership e.g. he at one time crowned himself
Kyabazinga of Busoga to satisfy his appetite for power.
 Kakungulu’s failure to get a post in the Buganda government also forced him to collaborate with
the British e.g. Sir Apollo Kaggwa beat him to the post of Katikiro (Prime Minister).
 Kakungulu was also interested in developing Buganda and he believed that through collaboration
with the British, Buganda would develop.
 The willingness of the British to tap the administrative potential in him also brought Kakungulu
close to the British hence his collaboration.
 Kakungulu also wanted to use his British connections to extend Buganda’s influence to the
neighbouring areas e.g. Busoga, Bukedi, Budaka e.t.c.
 It was also part of the British indirect rule system to look for the brave Africans to use as “tools” in
the extension of colonial rule hence leading to Kakungulu’s collaboration.
 Kakungulu also collaborated out of ignorance i.e. he didn’t know the intensions of the British.
 Due to Mwanga’s harsh rule, Kakungulu was also forced to collaborate with the British e.g.
Mwanga was against the British yet Kakungulu wanted to be their ally.
 All the above reforms earned Kakungulu a lot of admiration from the British but this was short
lived.
 In 1901 his headquarters at Budaka were attacked and taken over by the British, forcing Kakungulu
to withdraw to Nabumali.
 Kakungulu also suffered a series of demotions e.g. was demoted from being the Kabaka of Bukedi
to county Chief at Mbale.
 In 1923, Kakungulu was forced to retire on pension of three thousand pounds and this greatly
demoralized and frustrated Kakungulu.
 Kakungulu later joined a religious sect called Abamalaki and opposed anything western e.g.
medicine.
 In 1925, Kakungulu died a disappointed man and was buried in Mbale after failing to realize his
dream of creating an empire for himself.

Effects of Kakungulu’s resistance

 He helped the British to extend colonial rule to Eastern Uganda particularly in Busoga, Bugisu,
Teso, Bukedi and Kumam.
 He convinced the fellow Baganda to accept British rule as a way of securing military help against
their traditional enemies-the Banyoro.
 Kakungulu built administrative posts in Eastern Uganda, which the British later used as their bases
e.g. in Mbale, Budaka, and Nabumali.
 Kakungulu built several roads which eased the mobility of colonial armies and administrators e.g.
he built Mbale-Tirinyi road, Bubulo-Nabumali road and Iganga-Budaka road.
 Kakungulu united the Basoga and assumed the presidency of the Busoga Lukiiko.
 He also trained many local rulers in the area which greatly helped in the extension of indirect rule.
 He set up medical centers wherever he established administrative posts like Budaka dispensary in
Budaka.
 He planted many Mvule and mango trees in Eastern Uganda especially along the roads.
 Kakungulu introduced the Kiganda model of administration in Eastern Uganda.
 He divided these areas into counties and appointed Baganda agents and advisors there.
 Kakungulu also encouraged the growing of cash crops e.g. he introduced cotton growing in Busoga
and coffee in Mbale.
 He encouraged the extension of the Uganda railway to Eastern Uganda to collect cotton and coffee
and by 1930, it had reached Tororo.
 Kakungulu helped the British in the capture of Kabaka Mwanga and Omukama Kabalega in Lango
on 4th April 1899. These two had given the British a lot of hard time because of resistances.

Sir Apollo Kaggwa

 He was a Muganda from the grasshopper (Nsenene) clan born around 1869.
 He trained as a page and served at Kabaka Muteesa I and Mwanga II’s courts.
 Due to missionary influence. He converted to Protestantism and was christened Apollo.
 He started preaching Christianity and converted many people to Christianity.
 He was also very much influential in the construction of Namirembe cathedral.
 When Mwanga ascended to power, Kaggwa’s religious involvements landed him into trouble and
he narrowly survived the Christian killings of the martyrs in 1886.
 He became influential at the Kabaka’s court and he rose to the post of Katikiro (Prime Minister).
 He was rewarded with over thirty square miles of land for his excellent work as Katikiro.
 During the religious wars, he worked closely with Captain Fredrick Lugard who armed the
Protestants against Catholics.
 He also played a key role in the signing of the Portal – Mwanga agreement of 1893 which led to the
declaration of a British protectorate over Uganda in 1894.
 He helped the British extend their influence in Uganda e.g. he supported British campaigns against
Bunyoro.
 In 1898, he led a Ganda force against Sudanese mutineers from the north and he brought the
situation to normal.
 He was one of the key players in the overthrow and deportation of Mwanga and Kabalega to
Seychelles Island in 1899.
 He also helped the British to proclaim the young Daudi Chwa II as the new Kabaka of Buganda.
 Kaggwa became a regent to the new Kabaka and was involved in the signing of the 1900 Buganda
agreement.
 The agreement caused him problems because the ‘Bataka’ accused him of selling Buganda’s land to
the British.
 He introduced judicial and financial reforms in Buganda and upheld the rights of the ‘Lukiiko’.
 He campaigned for education and enrolled many boys and girls into mission schools.
 Kaggwa also asked the colonial government to grant many scholarships to many promising sons of
Buganda to go and study abroad.
 He encouraged cotton growing, mulching of bananas and application of fertilizers.
 In 1902, he visited England to attend the coronation of Sir Edward VII and was Knighted ‘SIR’ as a
reward for his good work for the British.
 He advocated for the spraying against tsetse flies around the shores of Lake Victoria and Sir
Hesketh Bell did exactly that.
 Kaggwa later lost his influence at the Kabaka’s court because Daudi Chwa had grown up and he
also lost his popularity from the chiefs.
 He conflicted with the British due to his desire to protect African traditional institutions in
Buganda.
 By this time, he had outlived his usefulness to the British and his own people.
 He angrily resigned in 1926 and died on 21st February 1927.

Nuwa Mbaguta of Ankole

 Nuwa Mbaguta was born in 1867.
 He lost all his parents as a tender age and was therefore left in the hands of his relatives.
 He later ran away from his relatives to go and live at Omugabe Ntare IV’s court.
 As he grew up, he was taken to work as a page at the king’s court at Mularagira.
 He didn’t enjoy his stay there and soon ran back to Ntare’s palace.
 As a young man, he had the courage of entering the Omugabe’s bedroom and he got praises for this
courage.
 Mbaguta became a fearless wrestler and was nicknamed ‘Kitinwa’ meaning the ‘feared one’.
 This soon earned him a lot of admiration from Omugabe and he became his favourite page.
 He was made to join the trusted army unit of the Omugabe which helped him rise to prominence.
 When the British showed up in Ankole, he became crusader of their propaganda and this further
elevated him above other pages.
 In 1894, he signed a treaty of friendship and protection with the British on behalf of the Ntare IV.
 This made him a public figure in Ankole.
 He led the campaign to construct the road used by Sir Harry Johnston to move from Ankole to Toro.
 In 1900, he was made the Nganzi (Prime Minister) of Ankole by the British commissioner Sir
Harry Johnston.
 In 1901, he signed another treaty with the British who pledged to support Ankole against Bunyoro.
 Ankole was allowed to maintain self government and was even rewarded with additional territories
like Buhweju, Mpororo, Igara and Buziba.
 He encouraged education by building several schools in Ankole.
 He also built several churches which helped in the spread of Christianity.
 Mbaguta also encouraged the growing of cash crops like cotton and coffee.
 Due to his contribution to British rule, he was rewarded with an MBE (Member of the British
Empire) honor.
 He retired in 1938 having done a lot for the British and his people.
 He died in 1944.

RESISTANCE TO COLONIAL RULE

 This is basically where African societies or individuals refused to co-operate with the whites in the
imposition of colonial rule.
 Individual resistors included Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda, Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro, and
Laibon Sendeyo of the Maasai e.t.c.
 Large scale resistances included Maji- Maji rebellion in southern Tanganyika, Abushiri revolt along
the coast in Tanganyika, Nandi resistance in Kenya, Mau- Mau in Kenya, and Lamogi revolt in
northern Uganda.

REASONS FOR RESISTANCE

 African societies wanted to preserve their independence e.g. Bunyoro, Nandi, Hehe.
 The imposition of colonial rule had interrupted territorial expansion of some societies e.g. Kabalega
of Bunyoro crushed with the British because they wanted to check on his ambition of expanding his
Kingdom to Toro, Bunyoro, and Ankole e.t.c
 Colonial economic policies such as forced labor, compulsory growing of cash crops e.g. Maji Maji
rebellion was as a result of forced cotton growing by the Germans.
 Some societies resisted because colonial rule interfered with their economic interests e.g. Arabs and
Swahili traders resisted the abolition of Slave trade leading to the Abushiri rebellion.
 Presence of able leaders also led to rebellion e.g. Kabalega of Bunyoro, Chief Mkwawa of the
Hehe, Prophet Kinjikitile who led Maji Maji, Mau Mau led by General China.
 Land alienation also led to resistances i.e. Europeans forcefully grabbed African land to introduce
the growing of cash crops e.g. Mau Mau in Kenya was as a result of the Kikuyu losing their fertile
Kenyan highlands.
 Heavy taxation also led the rebellions with in East Africa e.g. the British introduced hut and gun tax
which left Africans in poverty.
 The method used to acquire lands also determined the mode of reaction e.g. the British used force
in Bunyoro and Lango hence leading to rebellions.
 Religious propaganda and superstition also led to rebellions e.g. Maji- Maji fighters were miss-led
by prophet Kinjikitile while the Nandi were encouraged by Kimnyole’s Prophecies.
 Other resisted because their neighbours who in most cases were their enemies, had collaborated
with whites e.g. Bunyoro could not cooperate with the British because the Baganda had done so.
 Other resisted because they were sure of their military strength e.g. Kabalega and Mau- Mau
militants believed that they were too strong for the Europeans.
 Some societies resisted cultural and religious imperialism of the colonialists e.g. Arabs and Swahili
traders wanted to defend Islam leading to the Abushiri rebellion.
 Segregation and harsh rules by the Europeans also led to rebellions e.g. in Kenya, all Africans who
were to move to urban centers were supposed to carry passes called Kipande (identity card).
 Some societies resisted as a result of European interference with their Political affairs e.g. Germans
had replaced local chiefs with the Akidas and Jumbes leading to Maji Maji revolts.

N.B: Most of resistances in East Africa where suppressed by the Europeans because of the following
reasons:
 False propaganda and superstition didn’t work in favors of Africans e.g. Kinjikitile’s magic water
didn’t provide immunity to German bullets.
 Africans where poorly organized e.g. they didn’t make enough preparation before war and didn’t
have military training.
 Disunity among the various tribes also weakened the Africans e.g. the Chagga and Nyamwezi
didn’t join the Hehe rebellion.
 Some African fighters lacked persistence i.e. they would pull out living fellow Africans to suffer the
might of the European forces.
 Superiority of European forces i.e. Africans depended on traditional weapons like spears, stones
and outdated guns compared to Europeans who had modern guns like the Maxim gun.
 Some societies had been hit by natural calamities e.g. drought, famine, diseases e.t.c and this
weakened their armies.
 Poor military tactics, African always fought in big groups while Europeans fought in troops which
made it easy for the Europeans to defeat the Africans.
 Influence of collaborators: African resistance was weakened by collaborators e.g. Kakungulu who
worked for British helped in the capture of Kabalega and Mwanga.
 The death of able leaders also left a power vacuum like chief Mkwawa of the Hehe was surrounded
by German troops and he committed suicide by shooting himself while Chief Orkoiyot Koitale of
the Nandi was also murdered in cold blood and this left their people without leadership.

Case study of individual resistors

Kabaka Mwanga
 He was Muganda Prince born around 1866 to Kabaka Muteesa I of Buganda.
 Upon the death of his father, he came to power at a tender age of 18 on 24th October 1884.
 His early years in power were faced with many problems e.g. growing influence of European
power, many religious groups in Buganda and Kabalega’s desire to revive Bunyoro’s glory.
 Unlike his father, Mwanga could not manage all these problems at his tender age.
 He was erratic, inexperienced and could not handle all the pressure.
 Arabs warned him of the problems he was to face if he worked with the whites.
 The rate of conversion to Christianity in Buganda worried Mwanga so much that he decided to deal
with it decisively.
 In January 1885, he executed three CMS missionaries which marked the beginning of his campaign
against Christianity.
 In November of 1885, he ordered the execution of Bishop Hannington in Busoga.
 On 3rd June 1886, he went ahead to execute thirty Christian converts at Namugongo for failing to
denounce Christianity.
 In 1888, he made plans to capture all Christians and Muslims in Buganda and take them to an
Island on Lake Victoria and starve them to death.
 The plan was unearthed by the Christians and Muslims who started plotting Kabaka Mwanga.
 In October 1888, a combined force of Christians and Muslims overthrew Mwanga.
 He was replaced by his brother Kiwewa.
 The Muslims convinced Kiwewa to accept circumcision and convert to Islam but he refused on
grounds that a Kabaka is not supposed to shed blood in the Ganda tradition.
 The Muslims overthrew Kiwewa after a few months for refusing to convert to Islam.
 His younger brother Kalema was then handed the power and he embraced Islam and was given the
name Rashid.
 Christians were not pleased with this development and they were forced to ally with the deposed
Mwanga.
 In October 1889, a combined force of Christians brought back Mwanga to power and Kalema and
his Muslim supporters fled to Bunyoro.
 On 30th April 1890, Mwanga signed an agreement with Fredrick Jackson which placed Buganda
under the protection of IBEACO.
 Mwanga embraced Christianity and was christened Daniel and even appointed Catholics in his
government.
 These developments did not end his problems as conflicts and quarrels continued between the
missionary groups leading to the famous W’ngereza – W’faransa wars.
 During the conflicts, Captain Fredrick Lugard of IBEACO armed the Protestants with 500 guns to
fight the Catholics.
 The British accused the Catholics of supporting Mwanga against their rule.
 Mwanga was defeated with his Catholic allies and he took refuge in Buddu (Masaka).
 In 1893, he was recalled to sign a treaty with General Gerald Portal to end the mess in Buganda by
equally dividing all posts among the Catholics and Protestants.
 In 1897, Mwanga got the support of disgruntled chiefs and he tried to resist the new British changes
e.g. Kabaka’s loss of power and stopping collection of tribute from Busoga.
 Unfortunately, the revolt was crushed and Mwanga fled to Tanganyika where he surrendered to the
Germans.
 The British deposed Mwanga and proclaimed his one year old son – Daudi Chwa II as the Kabaka
with three ministers as his regents.
 In 1898, Mwanga escaped from the Germans and he joined his ex-enemy Kabalega in Lango to
continue with the resistance against the British.
 With the help of Semei Kakungulu, Mwanga and Kabalega were captured on 9 th April 1899 at
Kangai near Lake Kyoga.
 This completely marked the end of his rebellion against British rule.
 Mwanga and Kabalega were exiled to Seychelles Island on the Indian Ocean.
 Mwanga died in exile on 8th May 1903 and he is remembered for trying to safeguard Buganda’s
independence.

Omukama Kabalega
 He was born in 1850 to Omukama Kamurasi.
 He spent his early years in Bulega where his father had been exiled by a rebellion.
 From Bulega, he got the name Kabalega meaning ‘someone from Bulega’.
 In 1869, he was involved in a power struggle with his brother Kabigumire over who should succeed
their father.
 In 1870, he came to power after defeating his brother by using the support of commoners, Langi
mercenaries and his father’s bodyguards.
 His problems didn’t end with the defeat of his brother and therefore his early years in power were
full of trouble.
 These ranged from internal rivalry, Buganda’s threats, increased European interests in Bunyoro and
the need to revive Bunyoro’s lost glory.
 He also built a strong army of the Abarusula with two regiments of 1800 men each and armed with
guns got from coastal Arabs and Khartoumers.
 He expanded Bunyoro’s boundaries to areas such as Toro, Acholi, Busoga, Buganda and Lango.
 Kabalega’s imperialism soon landed him into clashes with the British who were also extending
colonial rule in Uganda.
 In June 1872, he resisted British intrusion when he fought Sir Samuel Baker and his Egyptian allies
at the battle of Isansa at the Masindi border.
 Sir Samuel Baker and his Egyptian allies were utterly defeated and this dismayed the British.
 Due to that success, Kabalega then attacked Buganda in the East which made him face Captain
Fredrick Lugard and his Ganda allies.
 At this time, he realized that his wars against the British were bound to cause him more problems
and so he opted for peace.
 He hoped that Sir Samuel Baker would give him military support against Buganda.
 Sir Samuel Baker told him that he would only offer his support if Kabalega accepted Egyptian
protection which Kabalega refused.
 He even refused to sign the treaty of protection with Sir Samuel Baker.
 In 1893, he attacked Kasagama of Toro, drove him out of his capital and forced him to seek refuge
in Buddu (Masaka).
 Kasagama met Lugard on his way who gave him support and he managed to defeat Kabalega’s
forces and Kasagama was restored back to power.
 A number of forts were built along the Toro – Bunyoro border to protect Kasagama against attacks
from Kabalega.
 Later, Kabalega attacked these forts and deposed Kasagama again.
 In 1894, Lugard led a force of Europeans, Sudanese and Ganda mercenaries and they attacked and
defeated Kabalega.
 Kabalega abandoned his capital at Mparo and retreated to Budongo forest.
 The British under Colonel Colville occupied Bunyoro and installed his son-Kitahimbwa as the new
Omukama.
 In Budongo forest, Kabalega continued with his resistance using the guerilla tactics of hit and run.
 In 1895, he successfully defeated the British and Ganda forces in Masindi.
 It was Semei Kakungulu who defeated him in Budongo forest and he fled to Lango in northern
Uganda.
 In Lango, he was joined by Mwanga who was also running away from British imperialism in
Buganda.
 The two continued with their resistance by using the guerilla war tactic against British rule.
 However, in Lango, the two were betrayed by local chiefs who reported them to Semei Kakungulu.
 They were captured on 9th April 1899 at Kangai in a swamp near Lake Kyoga.
 Kakungulu brought them to Kampala and handed them officially to the British who deported them
to Seychelles Island in the Indian Ocean.
 Even in exile, the Banyoro continued looking at Kabalega as their hero and pressed for his return.
 While in exile, he converted to Christianity and was baptized Yohana.
 Later on, he was allowed to return as a commoner but he didn’t reach Bunyoro.
 He died at Mpumudde near Jinja on 7th April 1923 at the age of 75.
 He was buried at Mparo in present day Hoima district and he was remembered as an African hero
who staged a serious resistance to the British occupation of his area.

Chief Awich of Payera

 Awich was a Rwoth (chief) of Payera in Acholi district.
 He came to power in the 1880’s after the death of his father, Rwoth Camo.
 By the time he came to power, the British were busy extending their rule in Northern Uganda.
 He constantly attacked and raided his neighbours e.g. the Paibona.
 These acts greatly annoyed the Major Radcliffe Delme who was the British Commissioner at
 Nimule.
 The commissioner pleaded to Awich to stop his activities but he refused and even escaped arrest
from the British.
 Awich even refused to sign a treaty with Colonel Mac-Donald as other Acholi chiefs had done in
1892.
 British hatred for him increased when he gave asylum to Kabalega and his fugitives who were
terrorizing the colony from Lango.
 He defied British pleas for him to chase away Kabalega and his fugitive soldiers.
 In 1898, a British force under Major Herman set out to capture chief Awich and in 1901, he was
captured and taken to Nimule.
 He was imprisoned and while in prison, his people continued to revolt and demanded for his return.
 In March 1902, the British reinstated him as the ruler in Payera after failing to establish
administration in his absence.
 In 1903, Colonel Mac-Donald tried to persuade him to accept British rule but he refused.
 Awich was then involved in inter-clan wars on the side of the Joka clan of Purnanga against the
Langi and Ogoora clan.
 In January 1912, he was accused of amassing guns from the Arabs and the British began to register
them.
 Awich organized the Acholi to resist the policy of arms registration and this resulted into the
Lamogi rebellion.
 He was thus arrested and taken to court at Nimule to face charges.
 During the court session, he lost his temper and boxed a British prosecutor called Sullivan who was
cross examining him.
 He was fined two cows, a goat and ivory and he was imprisoned at Kololo in Kampala for contempt
of court.
 As he served his prison sentence, his chiefdom was divided into two.
 By the time he returned in 1919 from prison, he was no longer a ruler and his chiefdom was no
more.
 He however invited Christian missionaries to his area to teach his people Christianity and book
learning.
 He died in the 1920’s having done a lot to protect his area against British rule.